Liking What You See: A Documentary: Analysis

In a society where beauty is constantly being promoted in media and advertisements, it is easy to be swayed into developing a high standard for beauty and a standard what is considered not beautiful. In writer Ted Chiang’s science fiction novel, The Story Of Your Life And Others, his short story, “Liking What You See: A Documentary”, brings up an important issue that is often overshadowed by other societal and controversial problems such as racism and gender equality. The story follows multiple people and their point of views on whether calliagnosia, a condition where one “perceives faces [and the differences between those faces] perfectly well… [but] simply doesn’t experience any aesthetic reaction to those differences” (Chiang, 238-239), …show more content…
Taking enjoyment in looking at beauty is not lookism. As stated by Jeff Winthrop, a 3rd year student in Chiang’s story participating in a student debate, “There are plenty of times when looking at an attractive face doesn’t hurt anyone” (Chiang, 247). It is when people start treating others differently and unfairly that becomes a serious issue and that is when it becomes lookism. Situations where prejudice and discrimination towards physical appearances is most prevalent occur in the workplace and especially during job interviews, where more physically attractive people are more likely to be treated with respect and obtain a work position (Hammer, 2017). It is also common for individuals that lack physical attractiveness to be released from their position. An example would be Brenna Lewis, who was fired by her employer that felt who felt that Lewis’s outward appearance was not “pretty” enough for a front desk position, despite appearance not being a requirement in the company’s personal manual. Moreover, it was stated in the manual that guest services representatives only need to promote a “warm, inviting atmosphere,” which was supported by Lewis’s positive reviews by her manager and customers. However, lookism in the workplace not only apply to “unattractive” people but also “attractive” ones as well. In one case, a 33 year old woman who had worked for her employer for 10 years was fired by her boss who thought that she was too …show more content…
Better looking students are able to achieve more; they receive such as better grades, have more friends, and have more overall confidence compared to more average looking students. HoweverNonetheless, those physical attributes do not actually cause a person to become more confident and more popular. It is the reactions and how others act towards their beauty that cause the good looking student to become more confident and “successful.” This can be shown through Tamara Lyons, the protagonist of Chiang’s story, as she had just convinced her ex boyfriend, Garrett, to turn his calliagnosia off, allowing him to “acknowledge” her beauty: “I was really conscious of him looking at me. That felt good” (Chiang, 263). Being aware of Garrett’s reaction to herself gave Tamara a confidence boost and greatly increased her self-esteem. In another case, outside of the short story, Tae Jun Park, author of a popular Korean webtoon called Lookism, discusses how his webtoon was inspired by real life situations that he went through during his adolescence. On a talk show, he reminisces how he was a “timid boy who had no confidence” and had very low self-esteem. As he entered his senior year of high school, he began to take care of his looks. In one incident Ultimately, Park ran into an acquaintance and noticed that the friend acquaintance treated him differently than before, giving gaining him more confidence.